The Last Day
by Bio-Nic
Summary: The final battle is joined - man's avarice brings death, but even darkness should fear the death lurking in the human heart...


Fated

The blade had punched through his back armor just to the left of his shoulder blade, it's wickedly sharp edge tearing bone and flesh alike as it travelled through. Miu had been just that second late to block the attacker, her cries for her husband and lover lost above the battle din. Kenichi had looked puzzled for a moment before his battle aura had flared bright as a nova, ripping apart monsters within a one hundred yard radius and granting a moment of silence in this unending battle. Turning around, he had smashed the monsters head with a powerful blow that incinerated its body before slumping to the ruined concrete, the blade that had pierced him disappearing with the monster that had wielded it.

* * *

The monsters had come out of nowhere, opening dark portals into the middle of downtown Tokyo and ravaging across the countryside for days.

Rozenpaku had done all they could to stop them, but even the full strength of the masters was unable stop the midnight tide of nightmares from invading and pillaging everything.

Miyu's grandfather, a titan of the martial arts had fallen the first day. He had taken a legion of the beasts with him, but no matter what he could not stem the unending battle. The last anyone had seen of him, he had been dog piled by hundreds of the creatures, their axes and blades flashing red. It had finally come down to the last fifty or so defenders outside a warehouse near Tokyo docks.

Next was Shigure, her battle training and blades decimating the creatures and cutting a path through the battle lines to allow the many people who were fleeing to the ports a chance to escape. She had fought and fought and fought, but the monsters never stopped, and eventually she was lost in a explosion that had dropped an entire city block around the invaders and half of the support defenders. After her death Apachi had gone berserk, his battle cries and monstrous presence carrying an army of the beasts into the sea, no doubt mourning for his lost lover and friend even as he destroyed them.

Sasaki and Akesame had attempted to bring in their American friends, hoping the contacts in the military and covert world would assist stricken Japan. They had been rebuked and told that there was nothing that could be done while the beasts devoured more of the island nation. The best that they could muster in the end was one last set of refuge boats to try to help the people escape from the dying nation before they moved to the north, toward the center of the army of beasts, no doubt intending to annihilate as many as possible.

Ma had fought through all the battles, all the while shepherding the many fleeing citizens to safe pickup points. As he left the last plane in Tokyo an attack had sprung from the ruined airport hanger. He had last been seen fighting off the monsters and allowing the plane to take off safely with his daughter back to China, his final words ringing out clearly in chinese as he was overwhelmed.

* * *

The final plane of refugees, including the children and young martial artists that Rozenpaku had been teaching for these past few years were safely out to sea and on their way to the mainland. Hopefully Renka's promise of ammensy from the chinese would hold and they would life safely.

Miu only knew that the man lying in her arms did not have long for the world. She knew there was only the hope of the future generations remembering the last stand here, but even that was a cold comfort as he shifted in pain beneath her. She had attempted to hold his lifeblood in with a wound dressing, but even that was not enough to stop the crimson blood leaking from her husbands wound and staining the ground.

"Love, you need to go" he rasped slowly, his body still and cold to the touch. Around them the last defenders had ringed and fortified this hanger - the American airbase on Okinawa being the last safe port that people could flee from. There had been airlifts all day, but there were too many people and not enough ships left to get everyone out.

The last few defenders, some American marines and a contingent of the SDF hunkered down, shooting and fighting from fortified positions that were all eventually overrun. Miu knew she was outside the ring of relative safe protection, but she didn't care anymore. Today was a good day to die, and she intended to take as many of these... things with her as she could.

"No, I won't leave you. You know that. I said I'd live by your side until the day we died, and you know I keep my promises." He smiled gently then, outlining the fading scars around battle wounds around his eyes and mouth that he had suffered through the years of training and fighting. He blinked, slowly and painfully, and his words came slowly, as from a distance.

"Did Keisuke escape? I couldn't tell in all the fighting." His breathing was deepening, the scarlet pooling beneath him slowing as his life faded. She thought for a moment before nodding, her tears mixing with his blood as they fell to the ground, unheeded and unrecognized.

* * *

Their son, seventeen years old had indeed been on the last shuttle. During a lag in the battle she had drawn him to the safe hanger next to the relief flight, and her sudden shiatsu had knocked him senseless enough to have him moved to the ship and to safety.

She knew her son would hate her for making him abandon the fight, but they needed him to survive, to carry on the Shirahama family, if only to have the memory of this battle here never forgotten. As she left, had kissed him and slipped a small box in his pocket before jumping out of the plane and bounding back to the defense line and her husband.

* * *

"Yes love, he will carry on Rozenpaku, and hopefully find a way to stop this madness from happening again." She felt suddenly bitter about all the missed time, the opportunities for happiness that they had not experienced, however, she brushed that aside rapidly. They had lived happily, and with everything they could - Now was the time for them to part, and She would make sure they would not be parted long.

"Do you remember when we were little, the time that the old lady was being attacked? I was so scared then... more scared than I am now. I wish I could have saved you one last time, love... please leave before you are lost..." his voice trailed off and, Miu, with bitter eyes and vengeance in her heart, closed his empty eyes and sobbed as he died in her arms.

He was gone, then. She was still alive, and there were a million more of those bastards out there, the monsters that had taken so much from them. That had taken her family, her friends, her lover. She was alone, and in Miu's heart, she was finally at peace. She closed her eyes, and reached for the part of her that she never acknowledged, much less allowed to the forefront of her mind.

She opened the dark chained door inside her heart, removing the cloth from the dark mirror that all have in their soul, and saw herself reflected back, her torn and bloody battle armor and wild hair pulled back in a pony tail. She looked hungry, ready and willing to do anything, fight anyone, and pay any price to win. She knew that only madness lay in what she was about to do, but she plunged on needlessly, giving in to her dark nature. She allowed it the freedom to take her - losing her humanity and soul to the darkness, finally able to fight without restriction, finally able to avenge without restraint, finally able to fight without stopping. There was vengeance in the heart of Shirahama Miu that day, and the black world would tremble in terror at what it wrought...

Opening her eyes, all humanity blank from her expression, she bent and picked up the blade Shigure had made for her and Kenichi after Keisuke was born. Searching, she found the mate fallen near her dead husband's body, still blackened with ichor from running the many beasts through. She flicked both clean of blood, and the bounded over the rapidly failing defense lines even as the blood red son set of the land..

end

Yes, I know that I have a few other fictions that I have not been updating, bu real life has been keeping me busy and I finally had time to finish this. I promise updates to my other fictions, sometime before I die.


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